Malberg Castle

Malberg Castle is a Baroque castle in the municipality of Malberg in the Eifelkreis Bitburg-Prüm in Rhineland-Palatinate. The castle complex is situated on an elongated promontory of a valley basin at the large Kyll loop in the Kyllburger Waldeifel and overlooks the village of Malberg.

The noble lords of Malberg first appear in 1008 under a Ravengar von Madelberch as a vassal of the Archbishop of Trier. When the medieval castle complex was built is not known. Emperor Frederick II had the castle, referred to as "castrum" in a document from 1204, demolished. The prohibition of reconstruction was not followed, as a castle chapel is already mentioned in 1224. In 1280, the Lords of Vinstingen sold the lower castle to the Archbishop of Trier. The upper castle had been in the possession of the Reifferscheid family since 1273 through marriage. In 1302, the castle became a Luxembourg fief. Due to the difficult feudal situation, Luxembourg and Trier received equal rights to both castles in 1404, and the Lords of Reifferscheid were simultaneously recognized as hereditary burgraves. In 1588, the Counts of Manderscheid-Schleiden owned half of the barony. From 1591 to 1597, what is now called the "Altbau" (old building), whose core presumably contains the palas of the upper castle, was converted into a residential building in the forms of the Renaissance. From 1681, the Veyder family was in full possession of the castle and lordship. Under the Cologne auxiliary bishop Johann Werner de Veyder, extensive work was carried out on the castle complex. The plans came from the architect Matteo Alberti, who worked at the Düsseldorf court and originated from Venice. The "Altbau" was again rebuilt in the years 1706/07 to 1709. From 1707/08 to 1714, the castle chapel was built, from 1710 to 1714 the arcade building, and from 1711 to 1715 the "Neue Haus" (new house). The arcade building connects the "Altbau" with the "Neue Haus", behind which is a terrace with two pavilions and the "Runder Garten" (round garden), presumably built between 1727 and 1740 under Franz Moritz von Veyder by the architect Christian Kretzschmar, who came from Saxony or Silesia. Another garden, the "Eiserne Garten" (iron garden) (1713/14), is located opposite the former brewery (1714) at the gatehouse. Since the castle chapel was made available to the municipality of Malberg as a parish church in 1827, it was extended by one axis to the west, a triumphal arch was installed in the interior, and a sacristy was built. Renovation work in the 19th century in the "Neue Haus" particularly altered the staircase.

The castle remained in the possession of the Schmitz-Malberg family until its sale in 1990 and served as a guesthouse for several decades until 1985. After it became the property of the Kyllburg Verbandsgemeinde in 1990, extensive renovation work was carried out, which was largely completed in 2008. During this, the staircase was also restored to its original state.

The fixed furnishings of the early 18th century with their doors, fireplaces, and supraports are well preserved. The enfilades of rooms facing the garden on the ground and main floors are decorated with stucco ceilings. Iconographically interesting is the "Kaiserappartement" (Emperor's apartment). The room, probably serving as a bedroom, is decorated on the ceiling with a Habsburg double eagle and has a fireplace relief with the infant Hercules strangling snakes, a testament to Johann Werner de Veyder's loyalty to his liege lord and sovereign Emperor Charles VI. In addition to paintings, clocks, and furniture from the 16th to 19th centuries, some unusual wall hangings have also been preserved. They were probably produced in the renowned Frankfurt manufactory of Johann Andreas Nothnagel around 1760.

The castle chapel is used as an event venue for exhibitions and as an external office of the Kyllburg registry office. Ten sculptures, allegories of the seasons and hunting scenes by the Rococo sculptor Adam Ferdinand Tietz, are exhibited there. The copies are placed on the balustrades of the terrace and the inner courtyard.

The "Neue Haus" and the castle chapel are early examples of Palladianism in Germany, which, however, is mixed with French (room arrangement) and local ("Baroque" staircase) influences.